Anschar Diamonds Blog

An amateur prospector stumbled upon a rare 141-carat "parti-colored" sapphire in the Gemfields region of Queensland, Australia, last week, and the find is likely to make him at least $23,000 richer. The unusual stone — also known as "polychrome sapphire" — displays a range of colors, from rich blue to vivid green to bright yellow.

Australia had been a world leader in sapphire production for more than 100 years, with the industry peaking in the 1980s. Today, the Sapphire Gemfields have become a mecca for tourists looking for a little adventure and an opportunity to find a gemstone of their own.

Most of the commercial mining operations have closed down, but some of the once-rich territory is open to "hand fossicking." Amateur prospectors have honed their "specking" skills, which is essentially walking through the bush with the eyes focused on the ground. What they're looking for is any small change of color or a hint of sparkle, where the sun may catch the edge of a partly submerged, but often dusty, gem.

“For this lucky specker, it was all about being in the right place at the right time,” Central Highlands Tourism Development Officer Peter Grigg noted on the Discover Central Highlands Facebook page.

According to Grigg, the local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, was wandering through the Reward fossicking area, kicking over a few stones when, much to his surprise, he turned over the “find of a lifetime.”

“There had been considerable rain a week or so before, and there it was lying tantalizingly within reach on the surface of the ground," Grigg wrote.

Grigg explained that the 141-carat sapphire is crystal clear and in its current rough form is likely to fetch upwards of AUD $30,000 ($23,046).

"Parti-colored" sapphires can display two or three distinctive colors, depending on the trace elements present when the crystal originally formed. The transition from one color to another in a gemstones is called "zoning."

“I find it amazing that after 100-plus years of people scratching around in the ground at the Sapphire Gemfields, stones of this quality continually pop up,” Grigg added.

Tourists and amateur prospectors are more likely to visit the Gemfields during the cooler months from March through September.

"It is well worth the trip, because you never know your luck," Grigg told the Gladstone Observer. "One thing, though, no one will ever find a sapphire sitting on their couch at home."

In honor of April's official birthstone, we turn our attention today to one of the most popular — and prettiest — gems of the Smithsonian. Dubbed the "Blue Heart Diamond," the 30.62-carat fancy deep-blue sparkler was last owned by socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post and now resides near the Hope Diamond in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals in Washington, D.C. It is believed to be the world's largest heart-shaped blue diamond.

The story behind the remarkable Blue Heart Diamond spans four continents and includes a cast of world-famous characters.

According to the Smithsonian, we can track the origin of the Blue Heart Diamond to the legendary Premier Mine in South Africa, the same mine that yielded in 1905 the most famous diamond of all time — the 3,106-carat Cullinan. Three years later, the mine would deliver a 100.5-carat rough blue diamond that would be meticulously cut and polished into the Blue Heart Diamond by Paris-based jeweler Atanik Eknayan.

The dazzling finished gem caught the attention of French jeweler Pierre Cartier, who purchased it in 1910 and set it as the centerpiece of a "lily-of-the-valley" corsage.

Cartier sold the piece to the Unzue family of Argentina in 1911, and the gem would remain with that family for more than 40 years. In 1936, Maria Unzue gifted the corsage to her niece, Angela Gonzalez Alzaga, as a wedding present.

In 1953, the Blue Heart Diamond was acquired by Van Cleef & Arpels, which reworked the design, turning the corsage into a pendant complemented with a 2.05-carat pink diamond and a 3.81-carat blue diamond, according to the Smithsonian.

Following the lead of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, Winston reworked the design once again, this time mounting the heart-shaped diamond in a platinum ring and surrounding it with a halo of 25 round brilliant-cut colorless diamonds. That's the way we see it today.

Post, who was a leading American socialite and the owner of General Foods, purchased the ring in 1960 from Winston and donated it to the National Gem Collection in 1964. Post died in 1973 at the age of 86.

The Gemological Institute of America gave the Blue Heart Diamond a clarity grade of VS2 and rated the color as fancy deep-blue. Blue diamonds get their magnificent color from trace amounts of boron atoms in the diamond’s crystal structure.

Diamond lovers are in for a big treat later this month as Sotheby's New York will present an impressive array of rare gems at its Magnificent Jewels sale. Among the headliners of the April 18 event are fancy-colored diamonds in pink, orangey-pink and blue, as well as a D-flawless pear-shaped diamond weighing in excess of 33 carats.

Carrying a pre-sale estimate of $4.2 million to $5.2 million is the auction's top lot — a fancy intense pink diamond weighing 7.01 carats. The natural-color, square-cut diamond has a clarity of SI2 and is set in a simple four-prong ring.

A D-flawless, 33.25-carat pear-shaped diamond is the star of a gorgeous pendant necklace that carries a pre-sale estimate of $4 million to $5 million. The pear-shaped stone, which carries the ultra-rare Type IIa purity grade, is topped by a marquise-shaped diamond weighing approximately 1.00 carat.

A fancy intense orangey-pink diamond weighing 7.37 carats and accented by two emerald-cut diamonds is expected to fetch between $3 million and $5 million. The unusual natural-color diamond boasts a clarity of VS1 and is set in a ring that's embellished with near-colorless and pink diamonds.

Rounding out the highest-profile lots at Sotheby's is this rare fancy intense blue diamond weighing 3.47 carats. Entering the sale with a estimated price range of $2 million to $2.5 million, the cut-cornered rectangular step-cut gem is secured with four prongs on a simple white metal band.

Sotheby's New York will be hosting previews of these and many other sale items, starting on April 13.

In a rambling love treatise posted to Instagram, Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman explained to his 197,000 followers on Monday why he proposed to girlfriend Johnna Colbry with a ring made from butcher's twine.

It turns out the 43-year-old chef can be a bit impulsive, so when the idea of popping the question to long-time girlfriend Johnna Colbry, 24, came to him like "a mule kick to the heart" on Sunday, he had to get it done right away. With no time to purchase a "real" ring, he used what he had on hand.

“I woke up yesterday and it felt like any other day," Goldman wrote on Instagram. "Sun was shining, birds was chirping. I made some coffee, ate a little breakfast, and got in the shower. I was shaving my head when like a mule kick to the heart I realized that I am absolutely in love with Johnna (@letushear) and I can’t imagine living another day without her in my life. She is kind, funny, smart, beautiful, cool, wise, and sexy. She’s a tempest of feeling.”

"I didn’t plan this out," he continued. "It just happened and it was so glaringly obvious that I couldn’t have stopped it if I wanted to. I asked her to marry me. She said yes. I cannot imagine a state of happiness that is more intense than whatever I’m feeling right now. My heart just might burst."

He then explained why he decided to use professional butcher's twine — the same material used for trussing turkeys and tying up stuffed chicken breasts — as a symbol of his devotion.

"I’m sorry I didn’t have a real ring," wrote the Food Network star. "I hope you don’t mind butcher’s twine. I am a chef, after all."

Colbry shared Goldman's photo of the couple holding hands on her own Instagram page and added this comment: “Officially my ride or die. My forever muffin. My buffalo. I’m so crazy about you @duffgoldman and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life going on adventures with you!"

On Tuesday, Goldman told People magazine how he was overcome with emotion while shaving his head in the shower on Sunday.

"It was just like, ‘Boom! You’re incredibly in love with this girl, you need to marry her.'” he told People. “I almost called her from the shower—I think it was a good idea that I didn’t though.”

Instead, he decided to propose later that day while celebrating Easter Sunday with Colbry and her family. He even asked for her mom's blessing.

Goldman's last-minute decision to use butcher's twine as a ring is not a great leap from the material that was used as a marriage symbol thousands of years ago. Papyrus scrolls dating back 6,000 years are evidence of the exchange of braided rings of hemp or reeds between spouses. Ancient Egyptians considered the circle to be a symbol of eternity, and the ring signified the perpetual love of the spouses.

We're guessing Colbry and Goldman will be upgrading her twine ring in the near future.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Miranda Lambert stares down at her engagement ring and confesses a deep, dark secret in the 2011 ballad, "Dear Diamond."

The song's protagonist has cheated on her husband and she fears that her once-flawless marriage could be torn apart.

She asks her diamond ring for clarity. If she confesses her indiscretions, she'll break his heart. If she doesn't, the guilt will haunt her.

She sings, "Dear diamond, pretty and new / Perfectly flawless, too good to be true / Dear diamond, you shine like the sun / You wrap around my finger just like he does / You cost more than he wanted to lose / And with this ring I said I do / I promise to never do what I've done / I've lied to someone."

Lambert explained the origins of the song in an interview with CMT.com. Apparently, the characters in the story are fictional.

“When you first get engaged, as the girl, you’re constantly staring at your ring, showing everybody your ring,” she told CMT.com. “I just thought it would be a cool concept to write a song to my ring. And, of course, the dark side of me just kind of leaned toward the darker version instead of going happy with it. But I think that was the right way to go.”

"Dear Diamond," which features the haunting harmonies of country and bluegrass singer, Patty Loveless, is the sixth track from Lambert's Four the Record album.

Lambert told Rolling Stone magazine that Loveless was one of her heroes and that the collaboration was really special to her — "a dream come true."

With more than one million records sold, Four the Record reached #1 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country albums chart and ascended to #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart. It also placed as high as #12 on the Canadian Albums chart.

Born in Longview, Texas, in 1983, Lambert became interested in country music after a attending a Garth Brooks concert as a nine-year-old. Lambert made her professional singing debut with "The Texas Pride Band" while she was still in high school. She also performed with the house band at Reo Palm Isle in Longview, Texas.

In 2003, Lambert placed third in Nashville Star, country music's version of American Idol. Her first album, Kerosene, made its debut at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. In April 2017, Lambert won the ACM Award for Female Vocalist of the Year for a record eighth consecutive year. She also has won two Grammy Awards out of 12 nominations.

Please check out the audio track of Lambert and Loveless performing "Dear Diamond." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Dear Diamond"
Written by Miranda Lambert. Performed by Miranda Lambert, featuring Patty Loveless.

Dear diamond, pretty and new
Perfectly flawless, too good to be true
Dear diamond, you shine like the sun
You wrap around my finger just like he does

You cost more than he wanted to lose
And with this ring I said I do
I promise to never do what I've done
I've lied to someone

Dear diamond, what will we do?
Well I like the devil, just face the truth
Dear diamond, be my saving grace
What you don't know will kill him, that I can't face

You cost more than he wanted to lose
And with this ring I said I do
I promise to never do what I've done
I've lied to someone, dear diamond

Dear diamond, with your band of gold
Some people you have, some people you hold
Dear diamond, I promise to keep
The secret I have while he's holding me

The Houston Astros' 2017 World Series rings tell the story of the franchise's first-ever championship using 225 colorless diamonds, nine orange sapphires and 16 blue sapphires set in 14-karat white and yellow gold. Each ring weighs 90 grams and glitters with 10.40 carats of genuine gemstones.

Players, coaches and team management received their new bling during a special ceremony at Minute Maid Park last week.

According to the team, the top of the championship ring illustrates how — when the pieces come together — history can be made. The colorful design features the team's iconic "H" logo rendered in colorless diamonds layered over a yellow-gold-framed Texas star formed from orange sapphires. The star sits atop a circle of blue sapphires — also framed in yellow gold — which is encircled by a halo of tiny white diamonds.

The "H" posed a tricky design challenge for Minneapolis-based Jostens. The solution was to use 11 custom-cut baguette diamonds, which, not coincidentally, were the number of the team's post-season wins. Another challenge was sourcing orange sapphires of a hue that exactly matched the team colors. According to published reports, Jostens and Astros' team management had to go back and forth a number of times before getting it exactly right.

The logo's diamond halo includes 56 round diamonds, which represents the 56 years of Astros franchise history prior to earning a world championship. In all, the total diamond count for the top of the ring amounts to 112, the number of wins — both during the regular season and post season — that the Astros achieved to win the World Series.

And the symbolism continues...

On one side of the ring is the player's name rendered in raised yellow-gold lettering. Below the name is the the iconic Houston skyline, paying the ultimate respect to the city and fans who never wavered in their support for their team. A rendering of Minute Maid Park's left field wall seems to lift up the city of Houston, a sentiment expressed by many fans when describing what this championship has meant to them and their community in light of the devastating flooding that hit the city in August of 2017. Layered over the wall is the player's number encrusted in white diamonds.

"Our guys were playing for something bigger than themselves," team president Reid Ryan said.

On the opposite side of the ring, the phrase "Houston Strong" is prominently displayed in contrasting yellow gold atop the year, which is rendered in diamonds. A single solitaire diamond sits in the top of the Commissioner's Trophy, representing the first World Series victory in franchise history. The trophy seems to be rising from the center of Minute Maid Park. The Roman numeral LVI sits to the right of the trophy, paying tribute to the 56-year history of the Astros franchise.

The open sides of the ring feature a rim of round colorless diamonds set in contrasting yellow gold and punctuated by two princess-cut sapphires, an orange stone on one side and a blue stone on the other. Each is set in a bezel that's shaped like a home plate. These sapphires represent Houston's unique achievement of being the first franchise in history to have won a pennant in both the American and National Leagues.

The interior of the ring showcases the results of each series in the Astros' playoff journey, including the logos of the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. The bottom edge is inscribed with the organization's rallying cry, "Earned History," and includes the Astros' logo rendered in black enamel on 14-karat white gold.

Back in 1967, a Maasai tribesman named Jumanne Ngoma happened upon a cluster of intense blue-violet crystals in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. At first glance, they appeared to be sapphires, but it was later revealed that the stones were a never-before-seen variation of zoisite.

The stunning mineral soon caught the attention of Tiffany & Co., which wanted to feature the gemstone in a broad-based advertising campaign. Its marketing department's first task was coming with a better name. “Blue zoisite” sounded very much like “blue suicide,” and that wouldn’t do. Instead, the gems would be called “tanzanite,” a name that would honor its country of origin.

Tiffany’s tanzanite marketing campaign transformed a once-obscure stone into the “gem of the 20th century” and, in 2002, the American Gem Trade Association chose tanzanite as a December birthstone. To this day, a 7km by 2km area in Tanzania is the only place on the earth where this type of zoisite can be found.

Despite tanzanite's commercial success, the now-78-year-old Ngoma had never reaped any financial gain from his discovery.

Via text message, Asha Ngoma made a desperate plea to Tanzanian President John Magufuli on behalf of her dad, who is ill and partially paralyzed.

On Friday, the President responded with a reward and well deserved words of praise.

"Mr. Ngoma is a veritable Tanzanian hero," Magufuli told The Citizen. "But what did he get after discovering tanzanite about 50 years ago? Nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, it is people from other countries who have benefited more from this unique gemstone."

Magufuli announced that Ngoma will be receiving 100 million shillings (about $44,000) from the Tanzanian government. The average annual salary in Tanzania is $25,922.

Prior to earning the cash reward, Ngoma had received from the Tanzanian government two certificates of recognition for his accomplishment, one in 1980 and the other in 1984. Neither came with a monetary benefit.

"We must stop this wrong habit of neglecting people who do great things for this country," Magufuli said.

The Tanzanian president announced the reward during the unveiling of a 24.5km wall, which encircles the Mirerani mining site to prevent tanzanite smuggling.

A series of groundbreaking discoveries have the science community singing the praises of diamonds — especially the ones with inclusions. One physicist compared the precious gemstone, which can ferry material to the surface from hundreds of miles beneath the Earth's crust, to a "tiny indestructible spaceship."

A few weeks ago, we reported on a never-before-seen deep-Earth mineral — calcium silicate perovskite — that had traveled to the surface trapped within a diamond. The unstable material would have normally deformed as it moved to the surface, but within the body of diamond, it remained intact.

Then we learned about the discovery of ice-VII, a type of water ice that forms under enormous pressure. Previously, scientists theorized that ice-VII likely existed in great abundance in our solar system, but they did not think it could naturally occur on Earth. That thinking was turned upside down when traces of the unique crystallized water was found encapsulated in a diamond.

Both the calcium silicate perovskite and ice-VII originated 400 miles deep within the Earth's crust and rode to the surface in volcanic eruptions as diamond inclusions. Neither could have survived the massive pressure change outside the protection of the diamond.

“Diamond is a remarkable vessel for sampling the geochemistry of the deep mantle,” Steven Jacobsen, a mineral physicist at Northwestern University, told EOS.org, “because of its ability to seal off trapped inclusions from the reactive environment during ascent, like a tiny indestructible spaceship.”

As diamonds form hundreds of miles beneath the Earth's crust, tiny bits of their surrounding environment can be trapped inside. What's particularly unique about diamonds is that the inclusions will remain under the same pressure as they were during the time they were encapsulated.

"The diamond lattice doesn't relax much, so the volume of the inclusion remains almost constant whether it's in the Earth's mantle or in your hand," noted Oliver Tschauner, a professor of geoscience at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

A press release provided by the university explained that in the jewelry business, diamonds with impurities hold less value. But for Tschauner and other scientists, those impurities have infinite value, as they may hold the key to understanding the inner workings of our planet. In the most recent case, they revealed that aqueous fluids reside deeper in Earth than anyone ever expected.

The once-elusive ice-VII has 1.5 times the density of Ice-I, which is the type of ice we might put in a soft drink. Ice will progress from ice-I to ice-II, and so on, based on differing pressure and temperature conditions.

"These discoveries are important in understanding that water-rich regions in the Earth's interior can play a role in the global water budget and the movement of heat-generating radioactive elements," Tschauner said. "It's another piece of the puzzle in understanding how our planet works."

The ice-VII findings by Tschauner and his team at the University of Nevada were published in the journal Science. The findings related to the discovery of calcium silicate perovskite by scientists at the University of Alberta were published in the journal Nature.

The Mountain Star Ruby Collection, a grouping of four museum-quality gemstones discovered near Asheville, N.C., by self-described rockhound Jarvis Wayne Messer, is being offered for sale by Guernsey’s in New York City. The four star rubies weigh a total of 342 carats and display six-ray asterism.

The auction house will be receiving sealed bids through June 5 and the lot could yield an eight-figure windfall for Messer's widow, family and investors.

Messer, who made his living as a fishing guide, was constantly searching for rare and unusual stones in his native Appalachia.

“I started off as a pebble pup at 6 and worked myself up to a rock hound at 13,” Messer told the Associated Press in 1994. “What began as a hobby led me to one of the finest jewels in the world.”

In 1990, while searching an ancient stream bed in a still-secret location, Messer made the unprecedented discovery of four star rubies, including the 139.43-carat Appalachian Star Ruby and the 86.54-carat Smoky Mountain Two Star Ruby, which displays distinctive stars on both the front and back of the stone.

“When I found the [Appalachian Star Ruby] I did not realize how important a stone it would become,” he said in the 1994 interview. “I knew it was a ruby and a beautiful specimen. But we did not know what we had until we started to cut the stone. I realized what we had found when I made my first cut. The star just popped right out. Right from the beginning I could see it portrayed attributes that no other stone has.”

Guernsey’s President Arlan Ettinger told The Jeweler Blog that the needles are so bright that they "look like neon."

In 1992, the Appalachian Star Ruby became a top attraction at London’s Natural History Museum, where it drew 150,000 visitors in just four weeks, according to Ettinger. The museum's press release described the gem as the "world's most impressive star ruby."

The Appalachian Star Ruby has been compared favorably to the Smithsonian’s Rosser Reeves Star Ruby, which is one carat lighter. Ettinger explained that Messer’s ruby may be superior to the Rosser Reeves because it has six prominent needles, whereas the Rosser Reeves displays only five prominent needles and one broken needle.

After the exhibition, the gem returned to North Carolina, where it rejoined the rest of the collection and languished for more than a decade.

After Messer passed away in 2008 at the age of 52, his widow and family considered selling the collection, but lacked the funds to get the proper gemological testing and documentation. With the help of friends and investors, the stones found their way to the Gemological Institute of America in August of 2011.

Appraisals of the collection have put the value between $91 million and $120 million.

When gem enthusiasts discuss the finest star rubies, they generally invoke the famed gemfields of Burma and Sri Lanka. That Messer sourced his star rubies in North Carolina makes their story that much more remarkable. The collection includes the Appalachian Star Ruby: 139.40 carats, Smokey Mountain Two-Star Ruby: 86.54 carats, Promise Star Ruby: 64.16 carats and Misty Star Ruby: 52.36 carats.

He has yet to set a pre-sale estimate for The Mountain Star Ruby Collection. The four-stone lot will have no minimum reserve.

"There is not a lot of precedence on this," he said. "They will sell for what they sell for. We will do our best."

The Sunrise Ruby currently holds the record for the most expensive ruby ever sold at auction. The 25.6-carat gem yielded $30.4 million. The most expensive gem ever sold at auction is the 59.6-carat Pink Star diamond, which had a hammer price of $71 million.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, a 14-year-old Tiffany Evans sings about a very special piece of jewelry in her 2007 debut single, "Promise Ring."

In the song, the former Star Search Grand Champion in the Junior Singer Division tells her boyfriend that sometimes a girl needs a token of love to show how much she's appreciated for all the things she does. Apparently, her boyfriend was thinking the same thing.

He surprises her with a small velvet box containing a promise ring and makes the following vow: "I promise not to hurt you, I promise not to lie / I promise to befriend you and defend you with my life / I promise you forever, I promise you today, he said / Would you wear my promise ring? I said yes."

Later in the song, Evans sings, "How in the world could a girl say no / I knew it the moment he made my finger glow."

The recurring hook is, "Yes, I'll rock your promise ring."

"Promise Ring" was the lead single from the teenager's self-titled debut album. The song went to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 list and #66 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list. The album scored a Top 20 position on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop albums chart.

The official video for the song spotlights the teenybopper rockin' her promise ring with a special appearance by Grammy Award-winner Ciara, who was 21 years old at the time. The video has been viewed on YouTube more than 12 million times.

Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Evans rose to fame in 2003 as an 11-year-old contestant on Star Search, hosted by Arsenio Hall. Evans was the only performer in the talent show's history to earn perfect scores on all of her appearances. The Grand Champion in the Junior Singer Division soon caught the attention of Columbia Records, which signed her to a record deal.

Please check out the video of Evans and Ciara performing "Promise Ring." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

To the beat, to the beat, to the beat 'cause I need
Everybody to the floor, why? 'cause this beat is sick, yeah
It's time to rock, uh, that's what it is
Tiffany's her name, love is the game
And the only way to play is with this promise ring

Sometimes a girl needs to know that she's
Appreciated for all the things she does
With some sorta token of love
'Cause without it her young heart won't know

And right then to my surprise, he
Pulled out a small velvet box, pink ribbon tied
I'm wondering what's inside
He opened it and then he replied

He said, I promise not to hurt you, I promise not to lie
I promise to befriend you and defend you with my life
I promise you forever, I promise you today, he said
Would you wear my promise ring? I said yes

If ya break ya promise we breakin' up
Got a couple things that I want
Walks in the park and sweet things
If I rock your promise ring

I could be your pretty young thing
You could become my king
I gotta know you got me
Yes, I'll rock your promise ring

How in the world could a girl say no
I knew it the moment he made my finger glow
It was good to know I'm who he chose
It was your heart he felt now it shows, now it shows

You know when you see me floss
No way it's gon' get lost, I'll never take this off
I'm older and they call me by your name
I'll wear it on a chain, because I can hear you say

He said I promise not to hurt you, I promise not to lie
I promise to befriend you and defend you with my life
I promise you forever, I promise you today, he said
Would you wear my promise ring? I said yes

If ya break ya promise we breakin' up
Got a couple things that I want
Walks in the park and sweet things
If I rock your promise ring

I could be your pretty young thing
You could become my king
I gotta know you got me
Yes, I'll rock your promise ring

One of the world's finest collections of California gold made its debut Saturday at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Conn. The exhibition features 23 natural formations of gold, some of which resemble leaves, coral and skeletons.

Most were collected over the past 25 years, although two specimens of crystallized gold were mined in the 1850s during the California Gold Rush.

“The Eagle,” which measures 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.0 inches, was mined in the 1850s in Placer County, Calif. It features clusters of octahedral hopper gold crystals.

“This collection is incredible,” said Richard Kissel, the Peabody’s director of exhibitions and public programs. “The gold specimens on view are of superior quality — impressive physically and stunning aesthetically. The exhibit highlights the specimens’ beauty while offering insight into the history and science of gold mining.”

The Peabody Museum brings the California Gold Rush to life by presenting historical instruments and artifacts. These include a mining pan filled with gold dust, a balance for weighing specimens, an instrument for measuring the velocity of air in mines to ensure proper ventilation, a field chemical lab called a “blowpipe kit,” and a silver candlestick decorated with mining-related symbols that miners used for illumination while underground.

“The Little Flame” is a crystallized leaf gold that weighs 13.05 troy ounces. It was found at the Eagle’s Nest Mine in Placer County, Calif.

“This is one of the finest collections of gold specimens ever put on display anywhere in the world,” said Jay Ague, the Peabody’s curator-in-charge of mineralogy and meteoritics.

The exhibition also gives Yale University an opportunity to remind visitors of the school's interesting connection to the California Gold Rush. Seven years before gold was discovered in the American River at Sutter’s Mill, Yale professor James Dwight Dana had completed a tour of California’s Sacramento Valley. A pioneering geologist and mineralogist, Dana identified the region as a potential source of gold, remarking that the rocks there “resemble in many parts the gold bearing rocks of other regions: but the gold, if any there be, remains to be discovered.”

The gold specimens and artifacts are on loan to the Peabody from The Mineral Trust. The collection had previously appeared at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

A New Hampshire granny has earned internet stardom after generously gifting her own diamond engagement ring to a young waiter so he could propose to his girlfriend.

"It was just the right thing to do," Concord native Sharon Heinemann told local TV station WMUR. "I just did it, you know. He loved her, and he didn’t have a ring."

Last week, Heinemann and her two sisters ventured to Boston to see rock star Pink in concert. Before the show, they stopped in at Legal Sea Foods and struck up a conversation with their waiter, Mattheus Gomes.

Sister Ginny Krowe explained: "Mattheus, a very handsome gentleman, waited on us and served us, and I got to chatting with him and asked him if he had a girlfriend."

Gomes told the ladies that he was deeply in love with his girlfriend, Maria, who also worked at the restaurant.

He also revealed that he was planning a proposal, but he couldn't afford a ring.

Without hesitation Heinemann plucked the engagement ring from her finger and handed it to Gomes.

The waiter called for his girlfriend and got down on one knee.

Krowe recounted, “He says, ‘Maria, I love you. Will you marry me?' She was crying. She says, ‘Yes, yes, Mattheus.'”

Later on, Maria got to meet the woman who helped make her dreams come true. The two ladies posed with their rings — Maria proudly wearing her new diamond engagement ring and Sharon wearing her diamond wedding band.

Mattheus and Maria have already invited the three New Hampshire sisters to their wedding. When a reporter for WMUR asked who will be attending, all three enthusiastically raised their hands.

Legal Sea Foods made the day even more special by picking up the lunch tab for the sisters.

When asked how she felt about giving up her engagement ring to help the young couple, Heinemann said she felt "immensely happy. It made me feel good."

Heinemann and her sisters are now internet stars, as their story has been picked up by top news outlets, such as Yahoo!, The Sun, The Daily Mail and ABC.

Lucara Diamond Corp. is continuing to recover massive diamonds at its Karowe Mine in Botswana. The latest find is a 472-carat "top light brown" gem that rates as the third-largest ever discovered at the prolific mine.

Karowe has assembled an impressive track record for producing the world’s largest fine diamonds. The 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona and the 813-carat Constellation were both mined there in November 2015. Four diamonds greater that 100 carats already have been recovered during the first quarter of 2018, according to the Vancouver-headquartered mining company.

The recent proliferation of massive stones at Karowe can be attributed to Lucara's investment in X-ray transmission (XRT) imaging technology. The new machines are calibrated to extract 100-carat-plus diamonds by monitoring X-ray luminescence, atomic density and transparency. Previously, large diamonds might have been mistaken as worthless rocks and pulverized by a crushing device.

“The early sampling work [at] Karowe was done with equipment that really was not optimal and they ended up breaking a lot of diamonds,” Chief Executive Officer Eira Thomas told Bloomberg.com. “When we went into commercial production we expected to do better, but we had no idea that the diamonds that were being broken were so much larger. ”

Interestingly, the largest diamond ever found at Karowe — the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona — was actually a chunk of a broken diamond. The other part weighed 373 carats.

The unnamed 472-carat rough diamond is expected to be sold alongside Lucara's other top finds of 2018 at the company's first Exceptional Stone Tender later this year.

Lucara's roster of extremely large stones have generated seven-figure paydays for the company. Lesedi La Rona was sold for $53 million; Constellation earned $63 million; and the chunk that broke off Lesedi La Rona delivered $17.5 million.

While brown-tinted diamonds tend to yield lower prices than colorless or fancy-colored diamonds, Thomas — also known as Canada's Queen of Diamonds — believes the extraordinary size of Lucara's newest find may alter the standard valuation process. She told Bloomberg.com that some manufacturers may actually choose to accentuate the color through polishing.

“They tend to command a lot of interest because there are a variety of views on what can be done with stones of that color,” said Thomas.

The 472-carat diamond currently occupies the 31st position on the Wikipedia list of the largest rough diamonds of all time. Lesedi La Rona rates #2 and the Constellation is #7.

A pair of genuine Wizard of Oz ruby slippers scored by a Tennessee teenager 78 years ago for picking the 10 best movies of 1939 went on sale this week for a whopping $6 million. The iconic slippers, which were worn by Judy Garland during the filming of the beloved musical, have been called “the most famous pair of shoes in the world" and "the Holy Grail of movie memorabilia." The sale is being handled by auction house Moments in Time.

The slippers had been auctioned twice before. In 1988, the pair appeared at Christie's East and earned $150,000, plus a $15,000 commission. Then, in 2000, it fetched $600,000, plus a buyer's premium of $66,000, at the same auction house.

Amazingly, a 16-year-old named Roberta Jefferies Bauman won these fabulously valuable shoes for coming in second in a contest sponsored by the national Four Star Club. The slippers had been used by MGM for publicity purposes and then awarded to Bauman in 1940.

Bauman owned the shoes for 48 years, displaying them only for the benefit of children. She kept her pair of slippers — size 6B — in a box at her home until 1988, when she sold them at auction to a private collector. In 1989, they were put on exhibit at Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Specifically, they were in the queue to the park's replica of Grauman's Chinese Theatre.

MGM’s chief costume designer Gilbert Adrian created multiple pairs of ruby slippers for the film, but only five pairs are known to still exist.

The most-high-profile pair recently took an extended hiatus from its exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., while it undergoes extensive restoration. The conservation care was made possible by the generosity of thousands of backers who contributed nearly $370,000 in an October 2016 Kickstarter campaign. The funds were also earmarked for a state-of-the-art display case designed to protect the slippers from environmental harm.

The Smithsonian’s pair is the one Dorothy wore when she followed the Yellow Brick Road. The felt soles are heavily worn, suggesting these are the shoes primarily worn by the 16-year-old Garland during her dance sequences.

A second pair was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in 2005; a third pair was purchased in 2012 by Leonardo DiCaprio and other benefactors on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' museum, which is scheduled to open next year; a fourth pair is believed to be owned by the heirs of Hollywood costumer Kent Warner; and the fifth pair has been the property of Los Angeles dealer Gary Zimet for the past 18 years. Those shoes carry a price tag of $6 million at Moments in Time. It's believed that this pair was the second or third worn by Garland in case the main pair was damaged.

Interestingly, Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers are not made of ruby at all. In fact, the bugle beads that prop designers used to simulate ruby proved to be too heavy. The solution was to replace most of the bugle beads with sequins, 2,300 on each slipper. The butterfly-shaped bow on the front of each shoe is rimmed in 46 rhinestones, surrounding 42 bugle beads and three larger rectangular faux jewels, according to Footwear News.

In the 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, Dorothy’s slippers were made of silver. According to film lore, screenwriter Noel Langley recommended that they be changed to ruby red so they would stand out better on the yellow brick road when shot in brilliant Technicolor.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, country star Mark Collie's 1990 ditty, "Something With a Ring to It," tells the story of a guy who's been getting the cold shoulder from his girlfriend. She's got "diamonds in her eyes" and wants to take their relationship to the next level. He's got to make a commitment or risk losing her.

In the song, Collie explains that his "baby's playing hard to please" and he's pretty sure he knows why.

He sings, "She wants something with a ring to it / Like a church bell makes / Like a pretty white gown to wear / And some vows to take / She wants something with a ring to it / I think I understand / I'll have to put a ring on her finger / If I want to be her man."

Collie told SongFacts.com about the unusual origin of the song. He and Aaron Tippin had been struggling writers "kicking around Nashville trying to get a door open." One day, Tippin flippantly said, "We need to write something with a ring to it." Collie said, "OK." And the off-hand remark became the basis of the song.

The team originally wrote the song for country legend George Strait, but when he declined, the head of MCA Nashville, Tony Brown, advised Collie to record it himself and make it his debut single.

The song became the second track of Collie's debut album, Hardin County Line, and was covered two years later by Garth Brooks on his 1992 album, The Chase.

Born in Waynesboro, Tenn., in 1956, George Mark Collie is a singer, songwriter, musician, actor, producer and fundraiser for Type 1 diabetes research. He has released five albums, and 16 of his singles have hit the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Please check out the official video of "Something With a Ring to It." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Something With a Ring to It"
Written by Mark Collie and Aaron Tippin. Performed by Mark Collie.

My baby's playing hard to please
And I think I figured out what it is she wants from me
'Cause when I holder her close
When we go out at night
I can hardly see the moonlight
For the diamonds in her eyes

She wants something with a ring to it
Like a church bell makes
Like a pretty white gown to wear
And some vows to take

She wants something with a ring to it
I think I understand
I'll have to put a ring on her finger
If I want to be her man

My baby did but now she don't
And if I don't say I do it's a safe bet that she won't
Love me like she used to
When our love began
Why the only way to change her tune
Is with a wedding band?

She wants something with a ring to it
Like a church bell makes
Like a pretty white gown to wear
And some vows to take

She wants something with a ring to it
I think I understand
I'll have to put a ring on her finger
If I want to be her man

She wants something with a ring to it
Like a church bell makes
Like a pretty white gown to wear
And some vows to take

She wants something with a ring to it
I think I understand
I'll have to put a ring on her finger
If I want to be her man

Former First Lady Barbara Bush, who passed away last week at the age of 92, was rarely seen in public without her signature pearl necklace. Whether she was posing for an official White House portrait or helping her husband throw out the first pitch at a Houston Astros baseball game, pearls were always an essential part of her wardrobe.

During the presidency of her husband, George H.W. Bush, Barbara's favorite accessory became a symbol of the First Lady's class, elegance and Southern charm. They even earned the nickname "Barbara Bush Pearls." Her deputy press secretary Jean Becker said at the time that Barbara owned at least 10 different pearl necklaces.

Barbara famously wore a three-strand faux pearl necklace to her husband's inaugural ball in 1989. Women took note, and the demand for pearls — both simulated and cultured — went off the charts. Barbara donated the inaugural pearls to the Smithsonian Institution in 1990.

Over the past few days, women from coast to coast have been honoring the memory of the First Lady by wearing their own pearl necklaces and posting tributes on social media using the hashtag #PearlsforBarbara.

Known for her spitfire personality and wry sense of humor, Barbara once joked that she wore her three-strand pearl necklace so much that if she ever took it off her head would fall off.

While appearing on the Today show in 2015 with her granddaughter, Jenna Bush Hager, the self-effacing First Lady spoke about her affection for pearls.

"The pearls are to cover the wrinkles, which they no longer do," she said. "You can't wear pearls all over your face."

Some 1,500 guests — many wearing pearls — filled St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston for the former First Lady's funeral on Saturday. She was remembered as a loving wife, mother and friend with a devilish sense of humor.

The diamond-speckled space rocks that exploded over northern Sudan and littered the Nubian desert in 2008 may hold evidence of a "lost planet," according to Swiss scientists.

Philippe Gillet, a planetary scientist at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, and his team believe that the diamonds present in the meteorite fragments hold compelling evidence of a solar system that looked a lot different than it does today.

Instead of hosting just eight planets, they say, our solar system likely teemed with a mix of planets and protoplanets that circled the sun and sometimes collided with each other, spewing space debris. A small piece of that debris eventually found its way to Earth and explode in our atmosphere on October 7, 2008.

Found trapped within the space-born diamonds were tiny inclusions, or imperfections, that supported the idea of the material's "lost planet" origin. The imperfections were made of chromite, phosphate and an iron-sulpher compound. Since the iron-sulpher compound can only form at pressures above 20 gigapascals (about the pressure seen 400 miles below the Earth's surface), the scientists believe that the material had to come from a large planetary body — perhaps a protoplanet that was capable of delivering similar pressure.

The scientists believe the size of the "lost planet" was similar in size to Mercury or Mars. The diamond inclusions provide "the first compelling evidence for such a large body that has since disappeared." Their findings were reported recently in the journal Nature Communications.

So, once again, diamonds are proving to be a scientist's best friend.

“What for a jeweler is an imperfection becomes for me something that is very useful because it tells me about the history of the diamond,” Gillet told the New York Times. “It has a chemistry which has no equivalent in the solar system today, in terms of planets."

The Almahata Sitta meteorites — 480 pieces in all — were classified as ureilite, a type of rare meteorite that is embedded with various minerals. Ureilite meteorites are extremely rare. In fact, less than 1% of meteorites have this classification. The Swiss scientists suggest that all ureilite asteroids may be remnants of the same long-lost protoplanet.

A 3.47-carat fancy intense blue diamond set an auction record last Wednesday at Sotheby's New York when it sold for $6.66 million. The per-carat price of $1.92 million was the highest ever paid for a diamond of that color grade, breaking a record set only one day earlier at Christie's New York. That short-lived record holder weighed 3.09 carats and sold for $5.37 million, or $1.74 million per carat.

It's an extraordinary coincidence that the top lots at the Christie's New York Magnificent Jewels sale on Tuesday and the Sotheby's New York Magnificent Jewels sale on Wednesday would boast similar shapes, weights and color grades. Each stone had been rated "fancy intense blue," which is the second-highest grade after "fancy vivid blue."

Both rectangular diamonds performed well above expectations. Christie's record-setter easily surpassed the pre-sale high estimate of $3 million. Sotheby's $6.66 million top lot more than doubled the auction house's pre-sale high estimate of $2.5 million.

The 3.47-carat record holder was originally purchased after World War II by a Pan Am pilot. He gifted it to a Pan Am stewardess, who would eventually become his wife.

Robin Wright, senior specialist with the jewelry department at Sotheby’s, told barrons.com that woman wore the ring for many decades — during a time when colored diamonds weren't as fashionable as they are now. A tiny chip in the stone is evidence of a near calamity when the ring was accidentally dropped into a garbage disposal in the 1970s.

After the woman died in 1990, the ring was passed down to her daughter. An appraisal from 2006 had pegged the value of the ring at $150,000.

Wright told barrons.com that the family was “extremely pleased” with the auction result. “It’s a real American story,” she said.

In 2016, the Oppenheimer Blue became the highest priced gemstone ever sold at auction. The 14.62-carat fancy vivid blue diamond, dubbed “the gem of gems,” fetched an astounding $57.5 million at Christie’s Geneva. The Oppenheimer Blue's record has since been eclipsed by the 59.6-carat "Pink Star," which sold for $71.2 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong in 2017.

“Fancy Vivid” is the ultimate color classification for blue diamonds. Those that display lower levels of color saturation may be rated “Fancy Intense,” “Fancy,” “Fancy Light” or “Light,” according to the Gemological Institute of America. Blue diamonds get their magnificent color from trace amounts of boron atoms in the diamond’s crystal structure.

Credits: Top image courtesy of Sotheby's. Second image courtesy of Christie's.

A New Zealand bride-to-be who was forced to sell her engagement ring in order to make ends meet has been overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of a stranger. The buyer — who happens to be a wedding officiant — gave it right back.

Angelique Bankhart had fallen on hard times and was devastated by the prospect of having to give up her three-stone diamond engagement ring, a ring she owned for only six months. Nevertheless, she took a photo of her precious keepsake and posted it to the Hamilton Buy'n'Sell Facebook page, along with this heart-wrenching caption: "My beautiful engagement ring is up for grabs, trying to make ends meet."

Bankhart immediately became so distraught with her decision to part with her ring that she avoided checking the responses to her post.

"I hadn't even looked - I didn't want to see if anyone wanted it," she told the New Zealand Herald.

Meanwhile, Chloe Boerema, a wedding officiant who works with couples daily and is intimately aware of the emotions that go into a piece of jewelry, took notice of the Buy'n'Sell post and knew instantly what she had to do.

"Angelique posted a photo of her beautiful ring and it really touched me because she was selling it to try to make ends meet," Boerema said. "She was in a bit of a tight situation that week, so I just messaged and said I was very happy to purchase it, but she had to keep the ring."

The two women got to meet in person during an interview with a reporter for the New Zealand Herald.

"What does it mean to hang onto [the ring]?" the reporter asked Bankhart.

"Everything. Everything," she responded.

The fateful meeting of the two women is likely to develop into a lasting friendship. In just a few months, Bankhart and her partner will be taking their wedding vows and it looks like Boerema will be officiating.

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, rocker Chris Isaak's promising new relationship hits a speed bump in his 2002 release, "Notice the Ring."

In this song, Isaak's character is having a great time getting to know a woman he just met at a club. The chemistry is right and this could be the beginning of something special, but Isaak notices a diamond ring on the woman's finger. Is it an engagement ring, a piece of fashion jewelry or a sentimental bauble that was handed down from her grandma?

He sings, "I notice the ring, does it mean anything / You don't gotta fool me if you say it's only jewelry / I believe you when you slip off the ring, oh baby / It's got complicated if it's more than just gold plated / Are you single, does it mean anything?"

While introducing this song at his concerts, Isaak offers light-hearted advice to the men in the audience.

"When you meet a woman for the first time, it's important to focus on her hands. Not the whole body, but the hands," Isaak joked. "Look at the hands and they will tell you so much about a person. Particularly, notice the ring."

Penned by Isaak, "Notice the Ring" appeared as the eighth track of the artist's eighth studio album, Always Got Tonight.

The singer-songwriter, musician, actor and talk show host is best known for his soaring falsetto, 1950s Rock and Roll style and his song, "Wicked Game," which was featured in the 1990 film, Wild at Heart.

The son of a potato chip factory worker mom and a forklift driver dad, Isaak was born in Stockton, Calif., in 1956. His mom claims that Isaak showed musical intuition at eight months of age. She noticed that he would be moved by the sad country songs that played on the radio. Isaac started his first band in 1984 and was signed by Warner Bros. one year later.

Fun Trivia: Isaak was an amateur boxer and had his nose broken seven times, according to Discussions Magazine. At the time, his good looks and combed-back hair earned him the nickname, Elvis.

We hope you enjoy the audio track of Isaak performing "Notice the Ring." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Notice the Ring"
Written and performed by Chris Isaak.

Long legged
Good looking
You got everything
Slow walking
You come up
Then I notice the ring
I notice the ring

You're talking, I'm listening,
But I don't hear a thing
Is it something he bought you
Or only a ring, oh baby

I notice the ring, does it mean anything
You don't gotta fool me if you say it's only jewelry
I believe you when you slip off the ring, oh baby
It's got complicated if it's more than just gold plated
Are you single, does it mean anything?

I notice the ring, we gotta slow down
She's laughing, stop worrying
Get in the swing
Heart pounding, I'm wondering
Just what did she mean

I notice the ring
I notice the ring

Say nobody's waiting
That's it's nothing just gold plating
That it really doesn't mean anything
Say your grandma left it to you
Just all you need to do is tell me that it's no wedding ring,
Nice diamondI notice the ring
I notice the ring
We gotta slow down
I notice the ring

Glee star Lea Michele announced the news of her engagement to boyfriend Zandy Reich this past weekend with an Instagram post of her wearing a stunning 4-carat, halo-style diamond ring.

Michele's five million Instagram followers got the first peek at the elongated radiant-cut diamond via a Saturday post that was captioned, "Yes," and punctuated with an engagement ring emoji. Michele posed for the photo at a beach with her diamond-adorned left hand covering her face.

An E! News insider revealed that Reich, who is the president of the clothing brand AYR, assisted with the design of the ring that features a 4-carat center stone surrounded by a halo of smaller round diamonds. The thin white-metal band is also embellished with small round diamonds.

Fans of the singer/actress/author offered their congratulations on Instagram and gave a thumbs-up to the ring...

"That ring is GORGEOUS! You deserve all the happiness in the world. Congrats!!!!!" noted kitcatkath.

"Happy for you. I love the ring! added kyliegraaceeeso.

The newly engaged 31-year-old got her start as a child actress on Broadway, but rose to national prominence playing Rachel Berry on the Fox series Glee, which followed the disparate members of the fictitious William McKinley High School glee club. Glee aired for six seasons, from 2009 to 2015.

Reich, who is a graduate of the prestigious Wharton School of Business, reportedly asked Michele’s dad for his permission before popping the question.

Michele and Reich had been friends for a few years, but started dating in July of 2017. Their wedding date has yet to be announced.

Michele will be performing this summer with Glee castmate Darren Criss. Their LM/DC Tour kicks off in Nashville on May 30 and will include stops in nine cities.

Credits: Photos via Instagram.com/leamichele.

About the Author

Anschar Diamonds is beginning our 29th year of business in the Dallas area. We are very proud of our many repeat customers, not only here in the Dallas area, but in all fifty states. Most of our business is still generated by referrals but you may see our name popping up in advertising now as well. Utilizing a network of suppliers from Israel, Belgium, India and more, we are able to offer a large inventory of diamonds and colored gemstones. We are custom jewelers and enjoy creating a unique design just for you.

Theo Schaars was born in The Netherlands and moved to the United States in 1977. Theo (pronounced Tay-O) founded Anschar Diamonds, Inc. in 1982. He is a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. Theo is skilled in designing jewelry based on each customer’s ideas. Drawing from a vast supply of diamonds and colored gems, Theo can create unique jewelry for all occasions.

Please enjoy our daily blog postings. We will be scanning the Internet for unusual, entertaining and informative items related to fine jewelry and gemstones.

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